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January 15, 2016

Tell me how you store your stud earrings

The better part of three years ago, I wrote a post called How I store my stud earrings in which I shared a dead simple (and incredibly budget friendly) way to organize your (pierced ear style) stud and similar smaller sized earrings.

Then as now, I adore and stand behind that storage method, but as time as gone on and my stud earring collection has grown all the more (thanks in no small part to Claire's continuing, much to my delight, to expand their selection of nickel-free earring options - now, if we could only convince them to produce other types of nickel-free jewelry, like necklaces and bracelets, too! But I digress...), I've found that that approach doesn't really work for me anymore.

At least not if I'm trying to corral all of my stud earrings onto one single piece of material (too heavy/cumbersome, hard to store folded neatly in a small drawer in our en suite powder room, etc).

Last year I decided to go hunting for an alternative solution and hoped that I had found it in earring books, which I bought a few of from an overseas seller on eBay (they're virtually, if not entirely, identical looking to these ones that are available for about the same price on Amazon). I'd known about these types of handy storage books for a few years now and had really, really been itching to give them a go.

While they do certainly work well (especially for tiny sized, not-too-bulky earrings) and look pretty when lined up on a shelf, counter, dresser top or the like, if, like me, your earring collection consists of several dozen pairs, it can be tricky to organize them in the long term in a way that works well for you - or so I’ve found.

Often when I bought a new pair, I'd have to spend quite a lot of time rearranging my earrings as I like to keep similar styles together so as to easy find the ones I’m looking for when putting an outfit together (this is especially important with my collection spaced out across multiple books) and this hassle (relatively speaking, of course) just isn’t doing it for me.

I'm not talking down this storage method, or my previous one, in the slightest and both will work particularly nicely if your collection is on the small to moderate side, as well as if you're not as dead set on having them all continually perfectly arranged by themed/colour/etc in earring books at all times.

{Not only are they often lightweight and comfortable to wear, but stud style earrings frequently channel a fabulous vintage look and are ideal for yesteryear fashion fans. As such, I've amassed quite a collection of store bought and handmade (by me) pairs of the years and now need your help to find the perfect small space storage solution for them. Vintage image source.}

For now, most of mine remain in books, but this method is just not working as well as I'd like (first world problems, believe me I know ;)) and so I'm once again on the hunt for a suitable storage solution for my stud and similar styles of earrings.

A couple of points that are shaping my search are the fact that space is of an absolute premium in our little home and I need something that will take up a ton of room, as well as that, ideally, I want it to be a method that allows for new pairs to easily be added without having to spend time rearranging a lot of the existing ones over and over again.

I'm not opposed to a wall hanging solution either and have been wondering lately if such an approach (assuming the earrings were easy to get on and off, even in the middle of the board/whatever they were displayed on) might be the way to go.

Before I plunk down any more money and/or bust out the craft supplies though, I wanted to ask all of you, my lovely readers, how you store your own stud earring collection.

Please do tell, I'd love to hear your own approaches as well as any ideas you might have and will keep you informed as time goes on as to what I opt to decide to use (assuming I hit on the right storage method for my current needs, that is).

The little earring book is adorable - and your woven cloth method is genius! I don't have pierced ears, but my sister puts her earrings on her window sill and then her cat bats them off and they end up under her bed. But I think your system and the earring books are better options, lol. :-)

When I made the decision to switch from stretched ear plugs to regular-sized earrings, I went out and bought about nine pairs of new stud earrings. But I had nowhere to store them. I ended up using a DIY found here: http://www.delightfullydiy.com/2013/03/quick-earring-storage.html

I used a dowel from the craft store instead of pencils and had Boyfriend cut them to the right size. I just used the cardboard box that the lady from Macy's packed my earrings in, and that fits about a dozen pairs of studs easily. But I bet a Birchbox box would be a good size for a larger collection. It took about half an hour of very gentle crafting, not including letting the glue dry. Hope that helps!

That is a really, really terrific idea. Not only is that method handy and well organized, but it looks beautiful too. Thank you so much for the helpful link. I appreciate it immensely (just as I do your own impute on this DIY method).

I store my earrings in a old cigar box I found at a thrift store. The box is made out of some sort of plastic and I can fit quite a few pairs in each cigar slot. It sits on top of my dresser and all I do is open the lid, pick out a pair,and I'm ready to go. I like the fact I don't have to worry about dust getting all over the less worn earrings because of the lid. :)

That's a wonderful idea! Thank you! I know the sort of box you mean, but haven't seen any in person while thrifting in years (and no one I know smokes stogies on a regular basis). Thank you for the great idea. I'd love to find something similar, even if it was only able to house a fraction of my collection (it would still be a good start that would allow me to see, and move around, things more easily).

I used an ice-cube tray for the longest time - I could group like earrings, colours, etc. You can also stack them nicely or store them in a drawer. However, I've culled my collection down, and recently bought this lovely lead crystal dish for my dresser and it's worked quite well: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-89bqIswEQpY/Vj_hOvFEy8I/AAAAAAAAp2g/Yd8hmtNQodU/s640/004.JPG

Very cool (pun intended) idea about the ice cream tray, sweet Sheila. Love it, especially since it's a super budget-friendly option. Thank you for sharing both it and the link to your elegant crystal dish. What a glamorous way to display jewelry!

I don't have a ton of little stud earrings, I do have a small collection of vintage clip ons that I have turned into post backs, but I still think of them as clip ons as they are much larger than any studs. I use these http://www.containerstore.com/s/clear-compartment-boxes/d?productId=10032167&q=beads clear trays to store most of my earrings, but the clip ons are often too big to fit in a slot, so the clip-ons get stored in the "earrings" drawer of my standing jewelry box as the compartments in that are taller. I do have a lot of earrings though...I should probably go through all of them and clear out the ones I never wear!

Those clear compartment boxes are fantastic! Thank you so much for the wonderful link, lovely lady. For ages The Container Store was just for those in the US, but I see that their site now offers shipping to Canada. They're prices are usually so reasonable that even with the atrocious state that the Canadian dollar is in these days, I would still be comfortable ordering from them. Definitely a major contender on the earring storage front. Huge thanks again!

I'm afraid I don't have any ideas as my earrings are stored in a vintage pot at the moment but I will be stealing ideas from your lovely followers. I adore your blog, it's so thorough in dealing with all aspects of living a vintage life. I like to think of it as a wonderful replacement for those lifestyle magazines that would be available were I living in the 40s and 50s. Wishing you the best my dear xx

As you know, I totally copied your book idea! As I've on the flip side got so few pairs it's working well for me - although the really bulky ones and clip ons are a bit of a pain with this method...

I guess a long piece of fabric you could hang somehow might be one answer - as long as it was easy to pierce! But again, you're always going to have trouble with adding new things into any kind of order...

They can be for sure, which is one of the drawbacks that I discovered as well. I love that I was able to introduce you to earring books (and was sooo thinking about our conversations pertaining to these handy storage systems while penning this post) and do very much like mine, but I just keep feeling like there may be a better method out there - at least for part of my collection. One perk that I really like about this approach is that it's uber handy for traveling. I brought some of my books with us to Vancouver a few weeks ago and have never felt more confident about the safety of my earrings (while away from home with them) than I did then.

It is a perplexing situation for sure - but also a fun challenge of sorts. Folks have been sharing some terrific ideas here - very much including yours of a long, sturdy piece of material (love that!) - and I feel like I might be getting closer to a possible solution (and still plan to keep my earring books, especially for traveling!).

At my work, we recently got rid of a number of our display items, and I was able to snag an earring rack/stand before it got tossed(bfore that, I kept them in a glass dish, which was a tangled disaster!) In my teenage years, I did a similar method to your original post, but with a piece of very fine tulle that I had thumbtacked to the wall. The weave was fine enough that the studs could poke through and hang flat against the wall.

Way to go on snagging an earring display stand from your work. I bet that works fabulously! I think taking that approach is a terrific idea. I have a number of (fairly) small metal ones for earrings (displayed on plastic cards), and they would do the job, but I simply do not have (and couldn't easily make) the room needed to display them...all. You've got me thinking though that I could employee one or two in such a capacity and perhaps store less frequently worn pairs in another way. Definitely a good idea. Thanks again!!!

Hi Miss Jessica, Storing jewelry can be an issue. Currently, I store all my jewelry in clear plastic bead organizers. I get them at Micheal's craft store and they are (at least in the US) under $3.00 (see here: bit.ly/1lfgBhD). It holds about 15 or so items and I can add a bit of fabric or foam to each division if I have some really delicate piece I'm placing in it.

What I like about this method is that I can see all my jewelry really easily and that I can place matching sets in the same slots, so they stay together.

This system works well, except for really big/bulky items I have. I probably just need to find a similar box with bigger divisions for them, but haven't yet.

Anyways, I hope this gives you some ideas. BTW I love how your jewelry always complicates your outfit ;)

Hi lovely Miss Akram, thank you very much for sharing your own jewelry storage method. I've been giving a lot of thought to those types of bead/craft organizer containers, too. I store some of the items for my Etsy shop in them and they are really, really handy (a decent sized one runs about $6 - $7 at our local Walmart; more usually at hardware, outdoors/fishing, and craft stores) and easy to come by, which are big boons in their favour.

Speaking of outdoors/fishing stores, I've seen (and Tony - who is an avid angler - has) some similar containers that are a bit deeper. Not per se wider in total size, but deeper, so you could get some types of bracelets, necklaces, and bigger earrings (and brooches) into them.

Many thanks again for letting me know that divided plastic storage containers get a big thumbs from you.

I store mine in divided craft containers. Have been doing so for years and it has been the best solution for me. Of course, even though I do have a lot of earrings, I think your collection beats mine.For me its really important to see them, because if I don't I will forget about them.Have you considered pinning them (earrings) to buttons and letting them sit on the fabric ?

Hi lovely Lorena, it's great to know that you're a big of the clear plastic craft divider approach as well. It's definitely a major contender for me, particularly since I have some to hand (I use them to store some of the items for my Etsy shop), they're easy to find, and are quite inexpensive.

That's a cool idea regarding pinning them. I hadn't considered that. Thank you so much for suggesting it.

To make a long and mostly pointless story short, I recently discovered 'Stackers' jewellery boxes. There are three sizes, and lots of different 'layer' options - I have a regular three section layer for my reproduction lucite earrings (because they're large and not easy to miss!) but for my smaller, stud earrings, I added a ring pad to one third of a different three-section layer, then it's just a simple case of aligning the earring backs to slot in the gaps of the pad (where you're expected to put your rings) - it may still be a bit of organisation, but at least it would be easier to slot them in & out rather than constantly have the backs on & off?

Oooohh, I just adore how gloriously well organized your collection sounds (I'm a die hard fan of being thoroughly well organized). I'd not heard of, or seen, Stackers brand jewelry boxes before (perhaps they haven't reached Canada yet?). Thank you so much for sharing about them with me, lovely lady. I just Googled them and am totally smitten.

That sounds like a great system, sweet Christy. I have an upright jewelry box on legs (it's what I'd call a medium sized one of this type), but it's pretty much entirely full of costume jewelry brooches, necklace, and bracelets, which can't easily be rehomed elsewhere. It would be awesome if I could get a second one, particularly if it had a lot of divided sections, and dedicate it just to earrings. Definitely worth keeping my eyes peeled for. Thank you for the great reminder.

I will be checking back to see what others have in terms of ideas for you. I personally have about 4 pairs of earrings in total so I use a milk glass dish and just let them hang in there:) The little vintage earring caddie I thrifted barely fits even the smallest studs so that would not be an option for you.

You know, I absolutely love using small dishes and similar receptacles to hold jewelry in. It's classic, fun, pretty and stylish all at once. I really hope I have more room to display my jewelry one day so that I can put some of it out in such containers (I may use one or two for frequently worn earrings all the same in our current house).

I have one of those harp-shaded earring displays - it works well, but it's basically full. I also have waaaay fewer earrings than you apparently do. ;-) I checked out your other earring post that you linked to, and I love the idea of storing stud earrings on a piece of fabric. I have very few stud earrings, but I'd love to increase my collection - mostly because I have long hair at the moment, and it tends to tangle with long earrings.

All that being said, I'm afraid I have no helpful advice on how to store earrings beyond what you've already mentioned. I guess my only suggestion might be to search Pinterest for ideas (though you're probably already doing that).

I'll be following this post to see what ideas others might have! If I increase my earring collection, it might come in handy!

Hi lovely Grace, thank you very much for your great comment and for sharing how you display your earrings at the moment. Those harp shaped stands are absolutely lovely.

Pinterest has a slew of fun (and often beautiful) ideas, but most seem to be focused on smaller sized collections. Of course, with enough space, one could put most any organization system to work on a grander scale, but I just don't have that to work with, so I may have to just take a very pragmatic approach and use something like clear divided plastic craft/beading storage containers. I don't say that negatively of course. I just mean that it's not necessarily as gorgeous as some of the display ideas one finds online.

It's awesome that you have a large earring collection, too, Ally. I didn't know that. Do you favour studs, dangling/hoop, or clip-on styles? I hope that some of the stellar suggestions readers here are putting forth will be able to help you wrangle your own herd of earrings, too.

sorry - no tips from me. i have only a few and they live with all my other earrings in a old cardboard box on my drawer. not very glamorous i fear :-)and not very organized too - i always have to shuffle in the box to find a complete pair.... displaying is out of question because the coal stove makes to much dust and i need plain surfaces for fast cleaning - life´s to short for elaborate work on this front!happy weekend wishes to canada!! xxxxxxxx

A really simple method I use, and not just for post earrings,is Cross-stitch cloth in embroidery hoops hung on the wall. That said, this doesn'the work so well for posts with hoops or other earrings that don'the lay flat.I've also tried various purpose made items for hanging earrings but the ongoing issue is that no one method works for all types.I do keep my nicer earrings on pieces of felt in a jewelry box (the felt helps with organization and is fairly sturdy).Good luck and I hope to hear what works for you.

That sounds gorgeous! I've been cross stitching since I was about five or six years old, so (save for needing to buy more hoops) I'm practically set there already. That could be a great solution, as they wouldn't (individually) take up a lot of space. Thank you so much for sharing your great display idea!

I wish I could offer a useful solution, but my relative lack of jewelry means that everything fits pretty well in my tiered jewelry box. I'm guessing "throw out all but a few pairs of your earrings" isn't the sort of advice that you're looking for, as popular as minimalism may be these days. ;) I'm interested in reading the solutions other people come up with, though! I'm sure someone will have a great way to store your fabulous collection.

Hee-hee, nope, not quite the solution I'm looking for. ;) Because I'm super allergic to nickel, I've really worked to build up a collection of safe (nickel-free) earrings over the years both for their own sake, and to help, in part, make up for all the nickel containing necklace, bracelets, rings, etc that I couldn't buy, so I'd be loath to part with most of them (I do cull occasionally though).

There are some really cool ideas being put forth here, from DIY to The Container Store and I definitely feel like I'm getting closer to "the one" (or combo of "ones").

Happy Sunday, Jessica!(mind the hankie in my hand, I'm having a bit of a cold, it's that sudden shift in weather conditions..) But, I still stopped by. :)When it comes to earrings, I prefer studs, like yourself. Most of those that I by come in their own little box, so that is the way I store them. I like my boxes in the drawer and that is all. Than again, that's me - a minimalist and a clutter-free person. I don't like arranging things for show (oh, I know - but that's what I'm like). I prefer sleek and clean surfaces, and therefore most of my jewelry is neatly stored in the drawer. Everything has got it's own place.You know what they say: a MESS is when a thing hasn't got it's place. :)

You poor thing! I'm really sorry to hear that you're under the weather at the moment. Thank you so much for popping by to visit all the same and for sharing how you store your earrings with me. I share your dislike of clutter in general and suppose in that sense it's a positive thing that I have so little free space to devote in this house to storing/display my earrings.

Don't let the fact that they aren't 100% ideal for my whole stud earring collection put you off in the slightest. They are a seriously cool invention and no matter what, from here on out, I know that I'll be using them to take earring with me in when I travel (I did so when we visited Vancouver a few weeks ago and my earrings have never been more secure while away from home). Plus, if I had far fewer pairs, I think they'd be ideal for my needs - it's a sheer volume thing at work here more than anything. So happy I could introduce you earring books, lovely Christina.

I signed on again to see all the amazing advice others could give you...and me. But so far no others?Anyway, the way I store my measly collection is in a pretty wooden box with stiff foam inserted. I shove the earring backs into the foam - all done up with the backs on. It keeps them in place and the fronts on view!Hope you get some other help. Will come back to read in a bit :-)Xo Jazzy Jack

That sounds really pretty. I adore wooden boxes of all sorts, shapes and sizes (in general I'm a huge fan of just about anything made out of wood - it must be the Canadian in me :)) and would happily keep mine in such (though might need a fair bit of room and multiple boxes). Wooden tea caddy boxes - new or old - could be amazing, especially for bigger (perhaps not just stud style, I mean) styles.

There were (are) indeed other comments, sorry about that. We're in the midst of some incredibly busy home organization, revamping, repair and tidying jobs (so hence why I had this post's topic front and center in my head this week) and I hadn't had a chance to approve any blog comments for a couple of days (I like, ideally, to do so when I have time to reply to them). I've since done so and many readers have provided terrific ideas spanning the spectrum from beautiful DIY projects to inexpensive store bought solutions and I definitely feel like I'm getting closer to an answer.

I haven't read this post from start to end yet, but just wanted to post this link: http://gt-sanne2.blogspot.dk/2013/05/little-book-of-earrings.html. I still love my Book of Earrings, and cosider buying one more. XOXO :)

Great minds, great minds! :) Thank you for sharing the link to your post. That is the same type of earring book that I'm presently using, too. They're wonderful in many ways, but as I have a fairly good sized collection of stud earrings and for the reasons detailed above they're not proving to be the best solution for my current earring storage needs (at least not for my whole collection). That said, they're super charming and I really do recommend them wholeheartedly (I will personally keep using mine for when I travel - I brought a couple with me when we were in Vancouver a few weeks ago and I've never felt like my earrings were better protected than they were in those cute earring books).

I don't have many studs but those I do have are attached together as pairs using the post through the pairs butterfly back if that makes sense and then I use push pins to attach them to a corkboard with my hook and screwback earrings, bracelets and necklaces x

That definitely makes sense and sounds like such a lovely way to store your earrings. The fact that you could see them all in one swift go with that approach appeals to me immensely. Thank you very much for sharing your great storage/display idea with me.

I just pair them together, in one big messy pile. (Put the post of one earring through the loop on the back of the other, put the back on the first earring). Probably in no way helpful for the number of earrings you have, but it might be a solution to keep them together before putting them away on a nicer surface (like your book).

I've never heard of these books for storing earrings. They seem like a great idea though I would be worried about the backs of the earrings bending or scratching on earrings on another page. Also, that would be a pain like you mentioned to add more if you have them organized in any kind of fashion. I have a good sized collection of studs. My go-to for organizing them is just keeping them on the boards they came on and lining them up in a small box. They get messy after a while and I end up having to re-line them up every couple weeks but I haven't lost earrings yet!

They're really a cool invention and I stand behind their usefulness in general big time. I don't plan to ditch mine (at most I may pass along some of them as gifts), but instead will keep at least some of them on hand to use for when I travel. I took a couple of them with Vancouver to me this past fall and I've never felt more secure about my earrings while traveling.

Thankfully the pages in the books are padded and relatively thick, so they're naturally separated (in my books at least) from each other and I haven't seen any sings of scratching/contact damage yet.

That's a handy way to store them for sure. I've thought about putting mine on earring cards (I have tons to hand for when I sell at vintage markets, sales, swap meets, and the like) and then finding one or more container(s) to keep them in. From a visual standpoint, they definitely look beautiful that way and are much easier to rearrange, as needed.

Many thanks for your great comment (and storage suggestion). Have a beautiful rest of the week, sweet dear!

I second the cork board suggestion! I haven't worn studs in years (I just prefer the feel of dangly earrings), but I experimented by pushing my one pair into my cork board and it seemed to work quite well. Stud earring are quite similar to push pins. It held it firmly, but was easy to remove. Michael's often has cute cork boards, and it could be hung on a wall or placed flat in a drawer if you have the space.

Thank you for letting me know that the cork board approach gets a big thumbs up from you, lovely Kate. It's certainly, by far, one of the most attractive ways to store stud earrings and I'm not opposed to giving it a shot at all.

Aaw, sorry I posted about the Earring Book, but as mentioned I hadn't read your post yet. Now, I have just a genious idea for you - a vintage picnic box! You know the (often) plaid ones made of metal and with four or five plastic trays inside. I have two I use for my bracelets, one of them is for seasonal bracelets and the other is sorted in colours. This way you don't have to rearrange, just put them in the right colour tray. And I think you only need one, since the earrings are so small compared to bracelets. The idea is my own, but it works so well and looks so nice. Hope this is for you, or else I would search Etsy, as I am sure some has come up with other great storage ideas. Snowy hugs XOXO

There's zero need to apologize, my sweet friend. As I said in my earlier reply, great minds! We're so often on the same page and this time was no exception. That's a super cool idea about the vintage picnic basket/box. I know just the type you mean. Definitely something to keep my eyes peeled for come yard sale season in the spring. Thank you for the terrific possible storage solution. In general, it sounds like a great way to stash away jewelry of all sorts, so definitely handy to have around, if I can find one with the trays.

I store some of mine in little tiny ceramic bowls or metal tins, that is for the smaller ones.The larger or medium sized ones I either place on a three tiered jewelry rack from my daughter or I insert them into a lace dolie that I have attached to the wall. I also hang some of my hanging earrings on the lace dolie. Lace dolies really come in handy for storage if hung up on the wall with push pins. I also attach some hair clips I have that have vintage buttons on them.

I keep ALL of my accessories in a tall silver jewelery cabinet like this one http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/like/381457392837?limghlpsr=true&hlpht=true&ul_noapp=true&hlpv=2&chn=ps&lpid=107&ops=true&viphx=1 . Works really well for me!

Hi sweet Bethany, tall jewelry cabinets are absolutely fabulous!!! I have one of the (non-mirror front) versions that I'd say is about medium height, however it is already full to the bursting point with other types of vintage and vintage style costume jewelry in my collection that I can't really rehome elsewhere in our little house), so unfortunately it isn't of much help here. If I could find another one and then a good spot for it around the house, that would be a terrific approach for sure and I really appreciate you suggesting that storage item for my earrings.

I'm Jessica, a lifelong lover of all things antique and vintage, especially those from the 1930s, 40s and 50s.

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